This invention relates to a man-portable multi-shot weapon capable of firing relatively large calibre projectiles at a rapid rate and to a conversion unit for use in providing single-shot weapons with multi-shot capability.
At present, the only large calibre man-portable weapons are single-shot, breech loading types such as the American 40mm M70 grenade launcher and the 38mm Federal gas gun. These weapons have relatively slow rates of fire which is a drawback due to the short range of the weapon. This means that a moving target can cover the engagement distance or retreat out of range in a relatively short period of time. Single-shot, breech loading weapons also have disadvantages insofar as the "zeroing-in" aspect is concerned. In other words, by observation of the point of impact of a shot, one can make corrections to the line of sight so as to bring the next shot on target. More specifically, the weapon must be taken from the shoulder to reload between each shot, thus taking the eve of the user off the target. Secondly, the re-loading time is considerably longer. These two aspects combine to reduce the ability to effectively use the information gained from the observation of the point of impact of one shot for zeroing in the succeeding shots.